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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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July 10, 2009 - Charges are dropped against D.C. Councilman Marion Barry, but council members consider an investigation into use of tax-payer dollars. Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine comes admits a broken promise on DNC involvement. The Washington Post's Robert McCartney talks to WAMU host Matt McCleskey about what could lie ahead.
July 10, 2009 - On July 11th 1864, Confederate soldiers in Virginia did an end run around Union forces and attacked the District from northern Maryland.
When fighting broke out, President Abraham Lincoln went directly to the front lines at Fort Stevens, located in Northwest Washington between 13th Street and what is now Georgia Avenue.
Park Ranger Ron Harvey says Lincoln was trying to rally the troops. So, the President, wearing his trademark stovepipe hat, climbed atop the parapet to see the fighting. "Everybody recognizes this man, including the 12,000 to 15,000 Confederate soldiers out in front of Fort Stevens," Harvey says. "So they start taking potshots at him." Ultimately, the union forces prevailed.
On Saturday, the Park Service will stage a re-enactment at Fort Stevens on the anniversary of the battle. They'll also rededicate the graves of five union soldiers who were killed in the battle but were buried under mislabeled headstones.
Ranger Harvey says he and a librarian at the National Archives sifted through old Civil War records for nine years to figure out who had been buried where.
David Schultz reports...
July 10, 2009 - The four inmates are wearing cap and gowns, but that's where the similarities end. These graduates are wearing green jumpsuits under their black robes, serving time for everything from selling drugs to armed robbery. Michael Pope reports.
July 10, 2009 - Two cities in southern Virginia are getting $1.5 million in federal stimulus funds for upgrades to their bus systems. The U.S. Department of Transportation says Danville and Williamsburg are getting the funding. The Williamsburg Area Transit Authority is getting most of the money - about $1.2 million.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
July 10, 2009 - (July 10 & 11) "BALTIMOORED" The Stoop Storytelling Series presents "Baltimoored: Summer in the City" tonight and tomorrow at 8pm at Baltimore's Center Stage. This live radio show celebrates all that there is to love about being stuck in "Charm City" for the summer, from steamed crabs to duckpin bowling. Storytellers include Maryland's First Lady Katie O'Malley and "The Wire's" Clarke Peters.
(July 10-August 23) HONG KONG'D Foreign film lovers can see the latest cinema to come out of China during the 14th annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival opening tonight at the Freer Gallery of Art on the National Mall. Seven films feature award-winning directors and intriguing characters and settings, from debonair pickpockets to nostalgic "old Hong Kong."
(Through July 26) THE SEASONS OF OATLANDS The Four Seasons of Oatlands summer art exhibit runs through July 26th near Leesburg, Virginia, in the carriage house of the Oatlands estate. This popular art show includes recognizable images that span Route 15 beginning in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, traveling through paint, pastel and watercolor down to Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia.
(July 11) ARTS AT THE ARMORY The arts explode at the armory, with music and dance during SummerFest at the D.C. Armory tomorrow from 4 to 10pm. DJ Flexx is the host, as local favorites and national stars play hip hop and R&B.
The Stoop Storytellers tell tales of steamed crabs and duckpin bowling in a live radio show.
Courtesy of: CENTERSTAGE
View more images from this gallery.
July 10, 2009 -
The D.C. Attorney General says hes ready to investigate the $60,000 contract D.C. Council member Marion Barry awarded a former girlfriend. With pressure growing for the D.C Council to formally investigate the $5,000-a-month contract Barry gave then-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles says hes ready to conduct his own investigation. A spokeswoman for Council Chair Vincent Gray says its possible an investigation into council contracting procedures could be announced later today and adds a new Code of Conduct for council members is in the works. In the meantime, Nickles says hes waiting for the go-ahead. Councilman Barry was arrested last weekend for allegedly stalking his former girlfriend. Prosecutors dropped the charges and Barry blamed the Park Police for inappropriately arresting him.
Patrick Madden reports
July 10, 2009 -
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty had demoted the head of the Districts new juvenile detention center and fired five corrections officers there after two recent escapes. New Beginnings was billed by the head of D.C.s juvenile justice agency as the anti-prison -- a state-of-the-art, 30-acre campus in Laurel, Maryland that promised to feel more like a college campus than an adult detention center. But on July 4th six juveniles briefly escaped. It was the second escape in the facilitys brief two-month history and Mayor Fenty says some of the guards were negligent. Fenty also says there are serious flaws in the facilitys construction, including doors and windows that are not properly secured. The mayor says the contractor is fixing those problems. Patrick Madden reports..
July 10, 2009 - Summer is the time for outdoor concerts - when serious institutions like the National Symphony Orchestra put the Mahler and the Wagner on hold and crank up the music of the movies. David Furst speaks with Critic Colleen Fay about one such concert... as she joins us for another edition of her "Best Bets."
July 10, 2009 - Almost a decade ago, Congress looked at the idea of regulating the derivatives industry and decided, 'nah...' Elizabeth Wynne Johnson has this look at Capitol Hill.
July 10, 2009 - The federal Housing and Urban Development Authority says across the nation, homelessness among families rose 9 percent last year. In the District though, it went up 25 percent, according to Nassim Moshiree, an attorney with Legal Clinic for the Homeless. The Mayor's Housing First Program has found permanent housing for hundreds of individuals, but placing families has been a slower process. Moshiree says 200 families remain on a waitlist. The Housing and Urban Development Authority announced over a billion dollars in stimulus money would go to fight homelessness around the country, with a special focus on families. The District can expect to see $7.5 million dollars in grants in the next few weeks.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
July 10, 2009 - Maryland may come up almost $1 billion short this fiscal year. Last year, Maryland legislators figured they'd balance this year's budget by setting aside some funds. But Warren Deschenaux, chief fiscal analyst for the General Assembly, has announced that those funds are gone. Not only that, but tax receipts are $400 million lower than expected. That leaves a budget hole of up to $700 million, or 5 percent of the state's entire budget. Governor Martin O'Malley is expected to present spending reductions for the year that began July 1st to the Board of Public Works soon, but it's not clear how deep those cuts will be.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
July 10, 2009 - Elections officials in Maryland say the state Republican Party will have to repay more than $77,000 it got from former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. Letters obtained by the Baltimore Sun say the State Board of Elections found that money transferred from Steele's state campaign account to pay the Republican State Central Committee's debts exceeded the legal limit. The violations turned up during a routine audit of political committees. Most of the amount comes from legal fees incurred during a redistricting fight several years ago. Steele is now chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Matt McCleskey has more...
July 10, 2009 - An attorney for the man accused of fatally shooting a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says his client is still not well enough to appear in court. James Von Brunn faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of Stephen T. Johns. There has been a series of hearings scheduled for him since the shooting on June 10th. He has not been able to appear for any of them.
Von Brunn was shot in the face by other guards at the museum. His lawyer, A.J. Kramer, says he is still bedridden but is able to hear and can sometimes talk. A judge for the U.S. District Court has scheduled a new court date for July 30.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
July 10, 2009 - D.C.'s lawmakers have some decisions to make as they decide how to spend between $40 and $50 million dollars of stimulus funding for environmental projects. They heard some new ideas on how to spend that money during an "open-mic"-style session at George Washington University. It remains to be seen which ones will make it through the proposal process.
Stephanie Kaye reports on the "Policy Greenhouse."
July 10, 2009 - Elizabeth Wynn Johnson recaps this week's news on Capitol Hill...
July 10, 2009 - A federal appeals court says a police checkpoints system used last year in D.C.'s Trinidad neighborhood is likely unconstitutional.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
July 10, 2009 - The D.C. Council is launching an investigation into a contract awarded by Council member Marion Barry.
Patrick Madden reports...
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